Anemia
by Catwho
Summary: Miruru and Gabriel have to face the facts - can a vampire and a cat really have a healthy relationship?
1. The Morning after the Night Before

Anemia

Anemia 

  
A Tenshi Ni Narumon Fanfic, by Cat Who  
  
Standard disclaimers apply: Tenshi ni Narumon belongs to Studio Pierrot and the Heaven Project, not me. I'm not making any money, please don't sue me.  


***

_Saturday night_

***  
  
Miruru yawned and stretched on the roof of the House, blinking sleepily in the heady midnight air. Sometimes she liked to go up there for no other reason than to breathe fresh human air; in the Demon World the air had been dank and oppressive, smelling vaguely of decaying flesh and rough chemicals. The air of the Human World, in contrast, was clean and fresh; a girl could get spoiled breathing in this air all the time.  
  
So naturally Miruru spoiled herself.  
  
The stars were clearer here, too, although they were mostly covered by threatening clouds that evening. Miruru never bothered wondering if there was intelligent life in the Heavens; demons knew there was. Tenshi. She'd always though the tenshi to be aloof, nasty things, until she'd met Noelle. Noelle was anything but aloof and nasty.  
  
A sudden noise caught the demon's attention, and she turned to see Gabriel sleep-stumbling across the roof. Her heart gave a sudden thump as she saw the beautiful face of the vampire. Gabriel was the only person she'd ever met who sleepwalked in three dimensions. Instead of merely roaming the halls of the House, he climbed the walls, trees, stairs, anything in his way as he moved around in his dreams. He'd almost caught her plotting against Noelle once in just that manner.  
  
"Gabe?" she said softly as he stumbled near her, but he was oblivious to the world. So oblivious in fact, that even when he tripped and sprawled across her lap, he didn't wake up. "Silly Gabe," she whispered, stroking his violet hair. She liked having him on her lap. She liked simply being around him. He was the whole reason she'd run away to the Human World to begin with. She'd follow him to the ends of the earth if she had to.  
  
Emotions flitted across his face as he dreamt, and he grunted a few times. It seemed as if he was having a nightmare. Miruru smoothed is hair again and made a soothing sound to him, hoping to ease whatever was plaguing his dreams.   
  
Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning sliced through the air several miles away, and the growl of thunder started Gabriel awake. Miruru glared at the mean clouds for spoiling her peaceful moment. Gabriel's ice-blue eyes shot open, and he jumped nearly a foot into the air.  
  
"What...where...Miruru?" He blinked a few times in confusion.  
  
"You were sleepwalking, Gabu-chan. I didn't want to wake you, but the lightning did anyway."  
  
"Oh." Gabriel looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry. I hope I didn't... I mean..." He realized he was still sprawled across her lap, and made to get up, but Miruru caught him fast. Now that she was awake, she might as well take advantage of the situation.  
  
"Say... Gabriel..." she whispered as seductively as she could.  
  
"What?" the vampire said irritably, struggling to escape the cat-girl's hold.  
  
"We haven't... well... it's been a long time since you last..." she giggled in embarrassment. "When's the last time you have a sip of... me?"  
  
Gabriel continued his struggles to escape. "Oh no. I went vegetarian again. I'm not sucking your blood, Miruru."  
  
"Oh, but why not? I'm the only girl around who actually enjoys it," she reminded him, stretched her legs and flipping her hair behind her shoulders, exposing her neck. "And I just bet you're starving for the real thing... don't tell me you like tomato juice better than this?"   
  
Gabriel's resolve was weakening. He could smell the rich blood flowing within her body, beckoning him. One sip. One little sip would be all right. One little....  
  
He leapt upon her fastening his teeth around her proffered throat.  
  
"Oh Gabriel," she whispered, in rapture. The vampire felt it too, and he continued feasting upon her, feeling her sweet blood flow down his throat, until she cried from release.  
  
***  
  
The next morning found the pair at the breakfast table, looking groggy. Gabriel was in an unusually high color, and Miruru was unusually pale, even for her. Gabriel could hardly swallow more than a few sips of his tomato juice, so stuffed was he from their escapades the night before.  
  
"What's wrong, Gabriel?" Mama asked, concerned. Her son would usually eat his breakfast just as eagerly as his sisters, despite his monotonous fare, but this morning he didn't seem too hungry.  
  
"Nothing, mom," the vampire grumbled, slinking into his seat.  
  
On the other hand, Miruru was tearing into her breakfast as if there were no tomorrow. Even Noelle had paused in awe as the cat-girl scarfed down twice as much as she usually would.  
  
"I think it's Miruru we need to worry about," Ruka said candidly. "She's eating as if it were for two."  
  
"For two??" everyone at the table said in unison. The last time the cat-girl had tried to rope Gabriel into marriage, she'd hinted that she was expecting. Had she been telling the truth?  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Miruru said hastily, although the smudges under her eyes seemed to belie that statement. "I just had a restless night, that's all."  
  
No one noticed as Gabriel slumped further down into his seat.   
  
"You don't have a fever," Mama said, resting her hand against Miruru's forehead. "In fact, you're a little cold."  
  
"It's a curse," Baba said automatically.  
  
"Everything is a curse with you, old woman!" Gabriel grumbled.  
  
"Gabriel, show more respect toward your grandmother!" Papa commanded.  
  
"Make me, old man," Gabriel said testily. He was really getting worried about Miruru, who was growing paler by the second.  
  
"I'll beat some respect into you!" Papa roared, and sent his recalcitrant son an uppercut to the jaw. Gabriel responded by leaping at his father, and their daily scuffle began.  
  
"I don't think it's a curse," Yuusuke said thoughtfully. "She looks like she's just given blood or something."  
  
Gabriel stopped cold, allowing his father to send him a blow that sent him soaring across the room.  
  
"I tell you, I'm fine," Miruru insisted, standing up to put her hands on her hips as she did so.  
  
She promptly collapsed, folding gracefully to the ground.  
  
"I told you it was a curse," Baba said triumphantly.  
  
***  
  
"Yuusuke, Yuusuke, will Miruru be all right?" Noelle cried, clutching his arm and staring at the fallen cat-girl, who had been laid across the couch.  
  
"Um, I think so," Yuusuke said, unsure.  
  
"Her blood pressure is dangerously low, but she should survive," Ruka said, checking the readings on a tiny machine she'd strapped to Miruru's arm. "What I want to know is how she lost so much blood overnight. What could she have done?"  
  
Everyone looked expectantly at Gabriel.  
  
"What?! Why is everyone looking at me? I didn't...I mean, I didn't think that..."   
  
Ruka tilted Miruru's head to the side, exposing two telltale bite marks.  
  
Gabriel gave up, and knelt beside the fallen cat-girl. "I didn't mean to take so much. I didn't mean to take any at all. But she wanted it..."   
  
"Son, you and I need to have a little talk," Papa said sternly.  
  
"About what?" Gabriel asked angrily, but Papa had already grabbed his son by the collar. "Hey, let me go, old man, I don't deserve this sort of treatment... let me GO..."  
  
The rest of the Family could hear his howls echo through the hallway for a few moments after they left the room.  
  
"Look, she's waking up," Ruka said, motioning for everyone to be silent.  
  
"What happened?" Miruru whined sleepily.  
  
"You passed out. You're running low on blood. Care to explain why?" Ruka leered, smirking..  
  
Miruru blushed deeply, the crimson in her cheeks a marked contrast to he otherwise ghostly pale face.  
  
"Why did you let Gabriel...?" Yuusuke asked, in disbelief.   
  
"The more important question is, how long has this been going on?" Baba said, closing her eyes and nodding sagely. "Those bite marks have been revisited a couple of times. Is that why you chase after him, child? Because you like being a vampire's snack?"  
  
"No!" Miruru cried, sitting up too quickly. Her vision nearly blacked out but she managed to stay conscious this time. "I love Gabriel. I would do anything for him."  
  
Baba stared at the girl seriously. She believed her, but the silly teenagers still had a lot of growing up to do before they were ready for a serious commitment.  
  
"Maybe you ought to stay away from him for a while. Your body will replenish its blood this time, but even a demon can't keep going forever with no blood."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts. I forbid you to see Gabriel for at least one week. You'd better get some rest in the meantime."  
  
Miruru collapsed against the couch in defeat. Baba left the room, knowing her word would be heeded.  
  
"Come on, let's get you to bed," Mama said. Noelle, Yuusuke, and Mama all helped the tired demon to the maid's quarters, where Miruru stayed despite the fact that she was the laziest maid in all of Japan.  
  
Sara and Ruka were the last ones left in the living room.  
  
"You've been quiet all this time," Ruka commented dryly to her older sister.  
  
"I haven't had anything to say about all this," Sara said with a shrug.  
  
"The things people do for love," Ruka grumbled. "I still don't get this whole 'power of love' thing. It sure makes people to crazy things..." The young scientist made her way down to her workshop, leaving Sara to stare at the ceiling, and blush.  
  
" 'Kael-san," she whispered to no one in particular.  
  
*** 

To Be continued! 


	2. Admitting It is the Hardest Thing To Do

Anemia chapter 2

Anemia   
**(part two)**

  
A Tenshi Ni Narumon Fanfic, by Cat Who  
  
Standard disclaimers apply: Tenshi ni Narumon belongs to Studio Pierrot and the Heaven Project, not me. I'm not making any money, please don't sue me.  


***

_Monday _

****

Gabriel glared at the ceiling of his room. He was hanging from his favorite rafter, wrapped in his cape, bat-style, contemplating his actions like he'd been ordered to. Why did _he_ have to be grounded? Miruru was confined to her bed, it's not like he was going to go in there to deliberately...well, especially after last night, he certainly wasn't going to seek her out.

Being a vampire in the Human World was _hard_. Gabriel sighed and dangled from his legs on his rafter, letting his cape fall behind him with a soft sough of silk. The muted green and black blended in with the Gothic decorations of his bedroom, or at least it would if the lights had been on in Gabriel's cave. It had been much easier in the Demon World, he decided. There, vampires were an accepted part of life. No one would mind if he took a little bite now and then, especially if he was sure to vary his victims. But here, it'd probably get him arrested, or worse, send Miruru into a jealous rage.

And why did she have to pick him to begin with? He certainly hadn't ever encouraged her. In the Demon World, he'd run away from her as soon as he saw her because she made him itch something terrible. Now that he was cured of his allergies, she'd been glomped onto him at every opportunity, and nothing he could say or do would deter her. 

It wasn't that he didn't like her...not that he didn't lo -- he steered away from that line of thought before he could finish it. She had the body of a goddess, after all, and she was really a good person, deep down inside. But why _him?_

A soft knock at the door broke his reverie, and he swung his legs off the rafter, doing a perfect backflip to land lightly onto the floor below, his cape catching in the dim dim light as it billowed out behind him. 

"Whoever it is, I'm grounded and can't come out," he said, his voice laced with annoyance. 

"Gabe?" Miruru called timidly. 

Oh, no. She was out of bed. Swearing under his breath, he opened the door to reveal her there, wrapped in a sheet, her hair dishiveled with those damned dark circles still underneath her eyes. The light from the hallways bled in, forming an aura around her. 

"You're not supposed to be here," he said coolly, leaning against the door, blinking slightly as his eyes adjusted.

"I had to come by to tell you something," she replied, her ears drooping slightly at his frosty tone.

"You need to be in bed. You're not well."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted again, brushing past him into his room without his permission. Gabriel tried to stop her but she was quick, and in the end he decided to just shut the door in case anyone came by. Wouldn't do to see them together after this morning. He turned on the one lamp, so that they weren't in his usual pitch black haven. 

"Miruru." He said her name sternly, but his resolve was melting under the sad look in her eyes. Globe eyes, he thought of them, so huge and round like a greeny yellow moon, far too big for her face. 

"I had to tell you that this wasn't your fault, Gabe," she said, strangely dry eyed. She was only an actress when it suited her purposes, and right now, she was trying to radiate honesty.

"Not my fault? What the hell do you mean, not my fault? I nearly sucked every damn drop of blood out of your body and it's not my fault?"

"I seduced you!" she cried with emotion, then calmed down. "And now because of me you're being punished as well. But none of this was your fault at all. If I hadn't --"

"It's both our faults. Yes, you seduced me, but I gave in. And you need to be in bed." He debated whether he should pick her up and take her back to her room, grounded or not. She was swaying on her feet, and if she collapsed in here, he'd never forgive himself.

"But Gabe, we need to talk about us," she said plaintively, stepping closer and resting her hands on his arm.

"Us?"

"Our relationship. They're trying to separate us, can't you see?

Gabriel backed away, his eyes widening. She had gone delusional. "Miruru, what the hell kind of relationship did we even have to begin with? You can't base anything romantic off me sucking your blood. It doesn't work."

"But Gabe -"

"I know, I know, you love me. And I lo --" he stopped himself just in time. He was _not_ ready to say that, not yet. Hell, he didn't even know if he would mean it. How could he know what love is?

"Yes, Gabe?" she prompted, loosening the sheet wrapped around her ever so slightly. Gabriel nearly had a nosebleed. She was naked under the sheet. That body . . . it was literally the emodiment of a man's most lustful fantasies. That's what minor demons like themselves were, after all, just human dreams and nightmares. Somewhere, some human had fantasized about a cat girl with an impossible body, and Miruru had been born. Hourglass figure, velvety ears, mile long legs . . .

But that was neither here nor there. Her eyes had widened, waiting for him to finish his statement. Those eyes...how could he deny those eyes? Huge eyes, cat eyes, waiting for him to finish his declaration of love, eyes that saw nothing but him, that waited patiently for him to realize what an ass he was being and just admit that he was as crazy about her as she was about him.

"I . . ." he started again. Damned if he couldn't say it. It would seal his fate. She'd already finagled herself into an engagement with him without his consent. But then, again, there were those sad, sad eyes. It was tearing him apart.

Just say it! he scolded himself. Then you can take her back to her room, so that she'll get better. 

"I . . ." 

A soft noise at his door let him know that they were not without an audience. He nimbly leapt over to his door in one fluid motion, and opened it, revealing the entire eavesdropping family. They fell as one to land, facefault style, on top of Papa in a heap on the floor. 

"Just...say it...son," Papa said, suffering under the weight of his entire family. 

"Papa, Mama? Sara, Ruka? Noelle? Even you, Yuusuke?" Gabriel was seeing red. How dare they eavesdrop on him!

"Hi!" Miruru said in her cheery way, tightening the sheet again with one hand and waving the other in a friendly gesture. Only Noelle waved back. Noelle, the eternally joyful. 

"Say it!" she said with a happy smile to her older brother. 

"No way. You think I'm going to admit that I love that . . . that cat-girl?" He pointed vaguely at her, still staring in disbelief at the assembled Family, unaware of what he'd just said. The look of joy that spread across Miruru's face let everyone know that she hadn't missed it, however.

Just then Baba came upon the group. At first she ignored everyone, stepping on Papa's back to peer into the room, taking stock of the situation. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the two inside. 

A heavy silence descended upon everyone like the weight of a thousand curses.

"Miruru!" Baba's voice sliced through the weighty silence, full of controlled anger. "I forbade you to see him for a week!"

"But --" 

"Get back to your room, Miruru. I can't believe you all. Look at you! Get up off the floor." She kicked imperiously at Papa, not enough to really hurt him, but just enough to let them all know that she meant business.

The family scampered off Papa's broad back, and cowered, fearful of Baba's wrath. Nekhbet jeered at them from Baba's shoulder.

Miruru exited the room slowly, gracefully, the look of silly happiness still fixed on her face. Baba had heard the tail end of the argument, and knew that Miruru had heard more than enough to keep her satisfied until she was well again.

"I'm going to pretend that none of this happened." Baba stepped away, her maroon robes trailing behind her as she walked down the hallway to the living room. She heard an audible sigh of relief from the Family before they scattered in the opposite direction.

Then she paused and waited for a few moments, as Gabriel closed his door and replayed the last minutes of conversation in his mind. Three, two, one...

"I said WHAT? Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Gabriel's cry resounded throughout the household.

And Baba smiled to herself before she continued on her way to her workshop.

***

To be continued...


	3. Lessons of Blood

Anemia chapter 3

Anemia   
**(part three)**

  
A Tenshi Ni Narumon Fanfic, by Cat Who  
  
Standard disclaimers apply: Tenshi ni Narumon belongs to Studio Pierrot and the Heaven Project, not me. I'm not making any money, please don't sue me.  


***

_Saturday_

***

One more day.

One more day.

Miruru kept chanting that to herself as she lay in her bed, nearly fully recovered from her "blood donation" the week before. She'd been a good girl and not visited Gabriel, although she desperately wanted to ask him if he'd really meant what he had said -- that he was afraid to admit that he loved her. She'd stayed in her room all week, making sure to eat plenty of iron rich foods and drink lots of fluids so that she'd be as healthy as possible when she emerged from her enforced isolation.

One more day . . .

***

Gabriel, on the other hand, was dreading the next day. He had been let off the hook early, because Mama had pleaded with Baba for mercy on his behalf, and he was out of his room, eating the morning meal at the table again. 

He swirled his tomato juice around in the glass why the Family breakfasted around him.

"Natsumi is coming over for a study session later today, along with Masuro and Saiki," Yuusuke informed everyone. "We all have a test on Monday, and given our grades last time, we need to start studying early."

"Test, test, waku, waku," Noelle said with an oblivious grin. Yuusuke gave her a gentle smile. 

"What is your test on?" Mama said politely, although it was hard to tell if she was really interested or not. It wasn't that the Family didn't _want_ to take an interest -- especially Mama and Papa -- it's just that they didn't know how.

"It's on anatomy. We have to learn all the parts of the circulatory system."

Gabriel froze. He was still riding on the gorge high he'd gotten from Miruru the week before, so he wasn't craving blood too badly, but vampires by their very nature are interested in all things blood related.

"That's very nice to hear," Papa said, munching on Mama's delicious cooking.

"I'm really worried about it." Yuusuke sighed. "If we don't pass this one, we'll be held back for sure."

"Don't worry," Gabriel said confidently. "I'll be able to help."

"Really?" Yuusuke was surprised. The vampire seemed as ignorant as the rest of the family most of the time, and he'd never shown any inclination to go to school. Yuusuke suddenly wondered about something. How old _was_ Gabriel, anyway? He didn't look a day over seventeen or eighteen, but he'd been old enough to agree to raise Noelle fifteen years ago . . .

Gabriel winked at Yuusuke, and put him in an enthusiastic choke hold. "When it comes to blood, I'm your man."

***

The study group met in Yuusuke's room as usual, with Sara popping in with cookies every once in a while. Even without Mikael there, she felt she ought to do something big-sisterly, and cookies were the best she could think of.

"Human blood is divided into two diferent parts -- plasma and blood cells," Gabriel explained, holding up a pointer and looking ten times more intelligent than usual. This _was_ his area of expertise, after all.

Noelle raised her hand frantically. "Ooh ooh ohh!" she said.

"Yes, onee-chan?"

"What part of the blood do you drink?" she asked, innocently. 

Yuusuke coughed. Natsumi looked confused. Masuro and Saiki sniggered to themselves.

"I don't drink blood, Noelle," Gabriel said urgently, looking more than a little embarassed. Well, anymore. Miruru's not human, he amended slightly.

"But just last week you mhmm -- "

Yuusuke had slapped his hands over Noelle's mouth. As if Suzahara-san didn't think they were all strange enough as it was . . .

"I did nothing last week. Ahem." Gabriel tried again, and realized that Noelle was going to make this a lot harder than he'd realized. "Blood is divided into two parts. The plasma is the clear liquid, and the cells, both white and red, form the solid part. The plasma containts platelets . . ."

***

Hours later, the study group finally broke up, with Natsumi thinking Gabriel was some sort of Gothic pervert from all the times that Noelle had asked about him biting Miruru's neck. Fortunately, Gabriel knew more about blood than even their sensei had, and Natsumi felt confident about their upcoming test.

"Uh, Suzahara-san," Yuusuke said, as she was leaving. She paused near the door in the garish foyer.

"Yes, Kamoshita-kun?"

"I'm sorry if Gabriel came off as a little weird. There was this scandel last week, and . . ."

"I figured as much. If he's going to go around seducing the maid, at least he could be more discreet about it." The annoyance left Natsumi's face. "But I'm surprised he knew as much as he did about the circulatory system. He seemed to have the location of all those veins and arteries memerized."

"Yeah. Haha." Yuusuke tried to laugh nervously. Natsumi already knew about Noelle, and she probably had her suspicians about the rest of the family as well, although her practical nature would never let her admit it.

"Well, seeya," Natsumi said, and left. Yuusuke watched his old crush go, and sighed slightly, before Masuro and Saiki pulled him back into the house.

"Soooo . . ." Masuro said, with an evil little grin.

"What's this about Gabriel seducing the maid?" Saiki matched his comrade in gossip.

Yuusuke gulped. "He didn't seduce her. Not exactly."

"He drank her blood?" Masuro said with a knowing grin. "I figured as much. I would too, if I were a vampire. Man, she's a hottie . . ."

"You're so lucky, Yuusuke. You live with all those cute girls."

"Noelle's enough for me, now," Yuusuke said firmly, and tried to shove his best friends out of the door.

"Okay, okay, we get the hint," Masoru griped, and they exited unwillingly. "But if Miruru rejects him after this, let me know, okay? If I can't have Noelle, she'll do . . ."

Yuusuke leaned against the door and sighed. Masuro and Saiki had their minds so deeply in the gutter nowadays that he should have known they'd catch on. And even Natsumi had put two and two together, although she'd only come up with three. Gabriel hadn't seduced Miruru, he'd made a meal of her. 

Gabriel was on the couch, swirling around some tomato juice in a wine glass, staring off into space with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Um, Gabriel," Yuusuke said, never quite comfortable around Noelle's older brother. "Thank you."

Gabriel gave him a toothy smile. "No problem."

Yuusuke left to go find Noelle, who had fallen asleep near the end of the study session. Gabriel drained his tomato juice. Teaching the group all the wonders of human blood had honed the edge on his appetite, and he was beginning to have the urge to feed again. Tomato juice was all good and well, but nothing satisfied like blood . . . human or demon.

He remembered the very first time he'd drank Miruru's blood. It had tasted too alien, so cat-like then, that he'd found it disgusting. But this last time, her blood had been like a sweet nectar, running down his throat, her warm body thrashing beneath his as he feasted.

"One flesh, indeed," he said, uncharacteristically calm. Tomorrow Miruru would be allowed out of bed, and by tomorrow, he would have to come to terms with his feelings for her.

It wasn't like Noelle, who'd fallen for Yuusuke the instant she'd seen him, or Mama and Papa, who had fallen in love as they raised their hodge-podge family. He didn't know exactly what it was. But the week of being away from Miruru, and the memories of that night the week before that Noelle had inadverdently dragged up made him realize something shocking -- he missed Miruru. He missed being licked awake by her in the morning, he missed having to run in deathly fear lest she catch him, and he missed having her hang onto his arm wherever they were. Truly, he never really minded her when she wasn't acting insane. Not having her around bothered him in a way that he couldn't precisely name.

One more day . . .

***

To be continued...


	4. SNAFU, or How to Hurt the One You Love

Anemia

**Anemia**

_(part four)_

A Tenshi Ni Narumon Fanfic, by Cat Who  
  
Standard disclaimers apply: Tenshi ni Narumon belongs to Studio Pierrot and the Heaven Project, not me. I'm not making any money, please don't sue me.

***

_Sunday morning_

***

And so the day of the end of Miruru's confinement dawned. She woke to the smells of Mama's cooking, and yawned, stretching deeply as only a cat can stretch.

The maid's quarters were actually quite nice. They were smaller than, say, Sara's room, of course, but in essence what she had was her own studio apartment, complete with even a small furo and plenty of room. And her bed was soft and warm. 

Miruru remembered her home back in the Demon world. Black magic didn't come out nearly as colorful there. And Miruru had never really been good at magic, anyway. When she had been working for Dispell, it had been Silky's magic actually controlling the other demons, not hers.

It had occurred to Miruru that she was the only one of Silky's henchmen to make it out alive. It was probably because Dispell had been one of her illusions to begin with.

_Papa_. She had called him that, not out of any real relationship, but because she had desperately wanted a . . .

A family. She, like nearly all the demons in the Demon World, had been born of human fears, not of flesh and blood. Oh, some of the luckier demons managed to cobble together a family -- even Cerberus had a daughter -- but most of them had been alone, like Miruru. When Papa had pulled together the Family to raise Noelle, Miruru had been vagely jealous of the peace that they had experienced. Maybe that's why she had started chasing Gabriel to begin with. Maybe it was only because she had wanted a family . . . to be part of a group that loved, that shared joy and sorrow . . .

Well, that was what she had now, more or less. Papa and Mama liked her, and it was only a matter of time before Gabriel came around.

Miruru smiled a catty smile, brushing away the shadows of doubt that her reverie had laid on her mind.

That time, in fact, was going to begin today.

***

She was silent at breakfast, and she avoided looking at Gabriel, who seemed perfectly happy to avoid her as well. The Family seemed to be oblivious in general to their discomfort, except for Ruka, who was always more observant, and Baba, who was quite intent on making sure that Miruru was really okay before she let her resume her chores.

"You're in good color again," Ruka said, after breakfast, checking the readouts on her small machine, "and your blood pressure is normal. You're as good as new."

"That's great," Miruru said with a wide grin. "I'll just be popping out to get some groceries then. Mama can't cook with somen alone, you know?"

Miruru skipped out of the house, her tail flying and her basket swinging.

"She's up to something," Baba said quietly. Ruka nodded. Miruru was _never_ that enthusiastic about grocery shopping.

***

"One more day before the test," Yuusuke said, flopping down in front of the study table in his room. 

"Yuusuke, Yuusuke!" Noelle cried, grabbing his arm. 

"Yes, Noelle?"

"Where is Natsumi-chan?"

"She'll be by later today. It's just you and me for now."

"Oh."

"Come on, Noelle, let's go over the notes that Gabriel gave us one more time . We better start studying . . ."

"Waaaaaai! I like studying, Yuusuke!"

"Noelle! This isn't stud--mmmf!"

***

Gabriel paced the living room, rehearsing just what he was going to say to Miruru when he got a moment alone with her. No matter what he tried to say, he found it impossible to completely articulate his thoughts.

"Miruru, I know that I've treated you coldly in the past, but I . . . no."

"Miruru, we've known each other a long time. This past week I missed you, and . . . no."

"Miruru, I'm sorry that I said we didn't have a real relationship. I . . . no, no, NO!"

He grabbed his head in frustration. He'd have to come out and say it right away. Leading up to it wasn't working at all. 

"Miruru, I . . ."

***

_Epimedium grandiflorum_: check.

Candles: check.

Naughty nightshirt with matching spats: check.

Miruru snickered to herself as she tucked those purchases among the groceries. Gabriel wasn't going to know what had hit him.

She began the short walk back home.

***

Natsumi rang the doorbell. Yuusuke peered out of his window and shouted "Come in!" from the second floor, so Natsumi entered the house, and slipped her shoes off in the foyer. She'd known Noelle's family long enough that she knew that she wasn't imposing by any means.

Miriru came in through the back door, and entered the living room just at the same time as Natsumi. They appeared from opposite sides, and their eyes caught each other's just as Gabriel finally set free all his heart and emotion in his practice speech, with his eyes closed.

"I love you!"

And of course, of course, Gabriel was facing exactly the wrong person.

***

There are some moments that seem to be frozen, as if the fluidity of time has formed a crystal, encasing that instant in a perfect arrangement forever. Miruru could not move. Her heart stopped, her eyes burned with shame and fear. Gabriel had just told Natsumi that he loved her. _Her. _

Natsumi looked surprised. Gabriel opened his eyes and saw Natsumi standing there, eyes wide in total shock. Natsumi then glanced across the room to Miruru. Her glance unfroze the cat-girl. 

Miruru dropped her groceries, and then ran sobbing out of the back door. Gabriel whirled around, horrified that two people had heard him, and one seemed to be the intended target . . .

"Oh shit," Gabriel said, realizing what had just happened. "Oh shit." He racked his hand through his wild hair, completely at a loss of what to do. He could only stare at the open door.

"Go after her," Natsumi said quietly. "Do it now, before she runs away forever."

Gabriel glanced back at her, naked pain on his face. He then looked toward the door again, toward the swiftly fleeing figure of Miruru, then back to Natsumi. 

"Go!" Natsumi said, this time more sternly, and made a shooing motion with her hand.

Gabriel got control of himself and nodded to her, then ran after Miruru, his cape trailing behind him.

"I swear, Noelle has the strangest family," Natsumi said to herself, slightly irritated, and she went upstairs to Yuusuke and Noelle.

***

Yuusuke had fortunately extracted Noelle from his body before Natsumi came in, and they had gotten something remotely akin to studying done.

Natsumi said nothing about the incident downstairs, but instead settled herself down, and opened her notes.

***

Miruru ran, not caring where she ran to, but just letting herself go as she wept bitterly. No wonder Gabriel had rejected her advances so much before. He loved Natsumi. After all, before that time in the bushes, it had been Natsumi he was after, wasn't it? Had all her interpretations of the signs, all her fantasies been only her imagination? Had it all been a dream?

She ran for a long time, until she found herself in an unfamiliar neighborhood on the edge of the city. There was a small park there, with an abandoned cave. She ignored the sign marked "Danger!" and crawled inside, only wanting to be alone in her misery. She wanted to . . . she wanted to go back to the Demon World. She crawled up against a far wall, thankful for the darkness that would allow her to wallow in her misery unimpeded. Silence, and blessed darkness. 

***

"Miruru!" Gabriel called, trying to track her down. She'd long ago outrun him, and he'd been tracking her by scent alone. (Gabriel, like all vampires, had a keen sense of smell.) But he'd nearly lost the scent by the time he reached the edge of the city, as his nose was getting worn out.

He stopped, and leaned forward, panting, with his hands on his knees. She had to be around here somewhere. Even he was getting tired, and he'd gotten used to outrunning _her_ after all those years. 

He apologized to his nose and took one last deep sniff, closing his eyes and letting his olfactory sense take over. That way. She had gone that way. He opened his eyes, and saw the cave.

She had gone inside it.

And Gabriel, so intent on finding Miruru, failed to notice the "Danger!" sign as well.

***

"Miruru!" The cry echoed through the large cavern. Miruru stiffened. Gabriel had discovered her hiding place. But how? And why?

She shrank up against the cave wall. Maybe he would go away if she ignored him.

"I know you're in here, Miruru," Gabriel said, calmly. "You can't hide from me." He voice was loud and clear, and caused a faint rumble from the ceiling above. The barriers that held the loose walls of the old cave in place had rotted years ago. 

This was true. Gabriel's eyes were very sensitive to the light, and he adjusted to the darkness much more quickly than a human would. In a matter of moments, it was as clear as daylight for him, and he saw Miruru's outline against the far wall.

"Miruru?" he said, stepping toward her. She turned away, unable to face him.

"I'm sorry . . . I mean, what happened back there . . . I didn't know that Natsumi was there."

Miruru ignored him still, so he slowly walked toward her, until he was in front of her. He knelt down on one knee, and took her chin tenderly in his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry. For everything. I screwed up. I mean, I really screwed up."

"You said you loved Natsumi," Miruru whispered, her voice hollow. "After all that, you love Natsumi, not me."

"That's not true." He kept her chin steady, locking his pale gray eyes with her own green yellow ones. Her night vision was just as good as his, and she could see his eyes.

"Then . . ."

"I love you, Miruru, and I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you." 

The joy that spread across Miruru's face was the most beautiful sight that Gabriel had ever seen.

"I love you too, Gabu-chan!" she cried shrilly, and pounced him, knocking him over onto the cave floor.

Unfortunately, the harmonics in Miruru's voice struck the rock walls exactly the right way. They both looked up in horror as the ceiling began to fall . . .

***

To be concluded . . .

*snickers evilly*


	5. Bringing Things Full Circle

Anemia

**Anemia**

_(part five)_

A Tenshi Ni Narumon Fanfic, by Cat Who  
  
Standard disclaimers apply: Tenshi ni Narumon belongs to Studio Pierrot and the Heaven Project, not me. I'm not making any money, please don't sue me.

Author's note: This final section was written while I listened to "Living Daylights" by Two Mix. That song kicks ass, especially the Baroque Best remix. I just wanted to say that ^_______^ (Cat Who is a Two Mix fan.)

***

_Sunday afternoon_

***

Gabriel acted on instinct, rolling over on top of Miruru and grabbing his cape with one arm. He threw the cape over them and held the arm over the back of his neck. Demons were supposedly immortal but there was no need to test the theory by being stupid.

But the anticipated crush didn't come. A little dust fell, and a few rocks landed around them, but the ancient wooden poles had manged to hold up the worst of the crumbling cave ceiling.

Miruru's face was inches from Gabriel's, and her eyes were large with the dim light. 

"You all right?" he asked in a low voice, not wanting to risk ruining their good luck by triggering another cave in. 

"Mm," she said cautiously, glancing around. "I shouldn't have screamed so loudly, I guess . . ."

"Let's go home," he said, and stood up. He dusted himself off, then he held out his hand, and she gratefully accepted it. 

And promptly collapsed again. 

"Not again! I didn't do anything this time!" Gabriel tried not to panic. Miruru shouldn't have run so much after . . . after their indiscredtion the week before. 

"I think I ran too much," Miruru said sheepishly, mirroring his thoughts, trying once more to stand on her worn out legs. They wouldn't cooperate, though she struggled mightily. She looked like a newborn colt, unable to gain a purchase on the cave floor.

"I'll carry you then." Gabriel picked her up and swung her onto a comfortable position in his arms. Miruru was so surprised that she had absolutely nothing to say. She simply stared at him, her heart bursting with love. He looked deternined and tender at the same time. She felt that if he had to, he could carry her to the ends of the earth. 

Gabriel stopped, however, when they were outside the cave.

"What's wrong, Gabe?" Miruru said, curiously. A blank expression had replaced the determination on his face. 

"I don't remember how to get home."

Miruru blinked.

"Neither do I."

The two looked at each other, sighed, and simply held onto each other. On top of everything else, they were lost, too.

* * *

"Noelle-chan, Yuusuke-kun, have you seen Miruru? She was supposed to have the shopping done by now." Mama stood outside their door, a worried look on her face. 

Natsumi started guiltily. "I think I was the last one to see her. She overheard Gabriel accidentally say . . . something to me." She glanced to Yuusuke's window. "She ran away. Gabriel-san followed her."

"Oh dear. I can't start dinner without the groceries."

"She dropped them, actually, before she ran. By the back door."

Mama smiled obliviously. "That's good then! Thank you Natsumi-chan!" Mama left in a rustle of blue skirts.

Yuusuke, however, was not so satisfied. "She ran away? Just what did Gabriel say to you?"

Natsumi blushed beet red. She knew that she had not been the intended target for Gabriel's passionate outburst, but there's something about an attractive guy screaming his emotions from the depths of his soul that tore at a girl's heart. 

"Never mind, I think I know," Yuusuke said with sigh. He, too, looked out of his window. Noelle followed suit, her normally genki expression gone serious. "I wonder where she went, though . . ."

* * *

"I think I can walk by myself, Gabe-chan," Miruru said. She had gone to her usual glomp position, piggyback with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Gabriel plodded along in what he hoped was the right direction. Getting lost in Tokyo was not how he had wanted to spend the afternoon.

"If we can find a train station, I can ask for directions," Gabriel said, ignoring her request to be let down. She was actually a very tiny person, although her generous bosom belied it. He could carry her like this for quite a while without getting tired. 

* * *

_Sunday Evening_

* * *

Natsumi said her goodbyes and left, and the family settled down for dinner.

"Where is Gabriel?" Papa asked conversationally.

"He went to find Miruru-chan," Mama replied sweetly.

"And where is Miruru-chan?"

"She ran away."

For the first time, it seemed to sink into Mama that something wasn't quite right about that fact.

"Do you think we should look for them? It's going to get dark soon." Yuusuke was the only one who seemed worried. The others knew that the dark was actually the most comfortable environment for both the vampire and the cat.

"How long ago was this?" Baba said sharply, ignoring Yuusuke.

"Before I started cooking dinner."

Baba frowned, but a sudden thought struck her. "Let them be. They'll be back."

"But --" Yuusuke began. Baba shook her head.

"Whether you believe it or not, Miruru and Gabriel are both adults. This is something they need to work out on their own." Baba's word was, as always, final, so the family continued eating, and Yuusuke was the only one really worried . Even Ruka and Sara believed that the two were off somewhere apologizing privately.

So nobody thought about them as they did their usual evening routines.

* * *

"I . . . can't walk anymore." Gabriel sighed and let Miruru slide off his back. They had stopped in front of a bench on an unfamiliar city street, and the rays of the setting sun filtered over them, casting an orange tint on everything. Miruru let her feet touch the ground, but she slid her hands around Gabriels' waist, leaning against him for a few moments, drawing on his strength. He rested his hands on her own, noting how her perfectly manicured claws mirrored his own. 

"We might as well give up. We'll never make it home at this rate." Miruru's voice was resigned, but calm. She didn't care where she was anymore, as long as she was with Gabriel. Gabriel, who had finally said that he loved her.

"Well, we can take a rest, anyway." He gently unclasped her hand, and sat down on the bench, pulling her down next to him. It felt natural to have his arms around her shoulders, so he left them there, and she snuggled into his chest. It was getting chilly now that the sun had set.

"So we're lost in the middle of nowhere, and we have no way of getting home." Gabriel shrugged, staring out at the street. "It could be worse." 

"It could?" Miruru joined him in staring out at the street. Her tail flicked lightly from where she had laid it on the bench. Gabriel's eyes drifted over to it, and he watched it, enchanted. 

"Yeah. It could. I might not have found you. I was about to give up, and then you were in the cave."

"Oh." Miruru sighed. They were silent for a long time, watching the stars come out above their heads.

"Only --" Gabriel said all of a sudden, and looked down directly at Miruru. "I don't think I would have given up. When you ran away, I felt that I had just lost the most precious thing in my life. I'm glad I found you, Miruru." He smiled gently down on her, and Miruru's heart suddenly beat faster.

It was another moment, crystal, frozen in time as they saw each other's soul's in their eyes. Eventually, they might have felt the urge to kiss, but for now, they were content merely to be there, to exist, to love and to know that they were loved in return. Overhead a shooting star passed by. 

A soft squealing noise drew their attention to the road, destroying the moment. One second all was quiet, and the next, a familiar police car had pulled up.

"Cerberus!" they both shouted in unison. Gabriel pulled her even closer, in case the police officer had plans of taking her back to the demon world after all. The officer emerged from his car, strutting, his brush moustache twitching as he took in the situation. Two demons snuggling on a park bench. After dark.

"You're out a little late," Cerberus said, a little too casually. He glanced at his magic police dossier clipboard.

"We got lost," Gabriel answered, a little too defensively. Miruru tried unsuccessfully to hide behind his arm. 

"Lost, eh? A likely story. I think that . . . hey, wait a minute." He frowned at the files he had just called up. "I remember you. You're the illegal alien, aren't you?" he asked, pointing to Miruru.

"I-," she began, but Gabriel cut her off.

"She's my fiancé, remember? We're working on the papers."

Cerberus frowned at them. The girl was staring at the boy with huge eyes, but he had the sappiest expression on his face as he returned the look. The cop, who had been in the business for twenty six demon years, saw an echo of his own feelings for the mother of his child. Love between demons was so rare, so beautiful, that he didn't have the heart to ruin it for them.

"Well, if you say so. But in the meantime . . . would you like a ride home?"

* * *

Cerberus dropped them off in front of the house, and Gabriel carried her up the stairs to the front door. The porch light hadn't even been turned on, despite the fact that it was full night outside.

"I guess they weren't too worried about us . . . "

"Naw, I think they knew we'd come home safely."

Miruru grabbed the door handle, since Gabriel's hands were full, and she turned it. Or tried to, anyway. Frowning, she turned it again, and again.

"They _really_ weren't worried about us . . . "

"We're locked out?" Gabriel could hardly believe it. Then again, this _was_ the Family, after all . . .

Miruru began laughing, and she couldn't stop. This just capped off everything. First overhearing Gabriel wrong, then running away, then nearly getting crushed in a cave-in, then getting lost, and now, getting locked out. The absurdity struck her, and it infected Gabriel as well, so that they were both laughing so hard they could hardly breathe.

"Ne, Gabriel," Miruru said, gasping between spasms of laughter, "wanna sleep on the roof again?"

Still chuckling as well, Gabriel said, "Why the hell not? It'll bring things full circle."

And the laughing couple climbed onto the roof, only this time, their romantic antics were of a more conventional kind.

* * *

The end! ^_^ Look forward to some shorter fics in the future, bringing together some non-canon couples. (Don't worry, I'm not breaking anyone up, I wouldn't dare do that . . . )


End file.
